Nasscom and Hiroshima to co-invest in Japan India IT Corridor for promoting B2B tech and talent

Hiroshima government will co-invest with Nasscom in creating Japan India IT Corridor. (Photo: Agency)

With an aim to enter new markets to create better opportunities for Indian tech companies, IT industry body Nasscom said that it has signed a letter of intent with prefecture Government of Hiroshima. Under this agreement, the Hiroshima government will co-invest with Nasscom in creating Japan India IT Corridor that could be at the forefront of promoting B2B cooperation and talent transfer from India to Japan. This project will be formally initiated by early 2019 on mutual consent.

Now, Nasscom and Hiroshima will invite their respective companies with chosen capabilities to come forward and join this partnership platform. Both parties agreed to set up IT Corridor in Hiroshima with an incentive package that could be extended to the Indian tech companies that come forward to adopt this platform while forming a partnership with Japanese companies.

The primary objective of this IT corridor will be to facilitate partnerships between Indian and Japanese companies. Indian companies with their command on the software side can help Japanese manufacturing companies adopt digital transformation and helping them create innovative product & solutions lines. This partnership is further expected to create IT jobs in Hiroshima and India and facilitate talent transfer from India to Japan. Hiroshima is in the process of setting itself up as an IT hub after being host to large manufacturing industries that are facing stiff competition.

Atsuhito Uemaru, Chief of Innovation Promotion, Hiroshima Prefectural Government, said, ”We have cutting-edge manufacturing technology, the brand new School of Informatics and Data Science at Hiroshima University and other high-class institutions, and top-class incentive packages for companies setting up new offices in Hiroshima. For achieving sustainable growth in Hiroshima, what we lack is a cluster of IT and software industry. Through our collaboration with NASSCOM, we would like to serve as a gateway for Indian companies to enter the Japanese market and vice versa, to build an ecosystem beneficial for the growth of both Indian and Hiroshima companies. ”

Gagan Sabharwal, Senior Director, Global Trade Development, Nasscom said, “We are really happy to pursue this cooperation with Hiroshima Govt and see this as a big step forward towards establishing Indo Japanese cooperation in the new Digital era. We are hoping to witness significant advancements in technology and innovation through the partnerships that emerge as a result of this association. This collaboration will act as a building block towards strengthening the Indo-Japan relationship and we are looking forward to working with Hiroshima in the months ahead.”

Hiroshima has already established itself as a manufacturing hub with several companies setting up base in the city and now aims at digitally transforming the local industry. This will help the local companies to do their business in a more efficient manner. The inclusion of foreign talent is a welcome step in this direction.